Design 9: Our Best Kitchen Winner

By Erin Kain

Modern Nest and PHX Architecture team up to craft this stunning chef-inspired kitchen in Paradise Valley.

The two large islands provide dual purpose— one for prep and one for gathering, functioning almost like a dining table.

Nestled in the foothills of Mummy Mountain, this newly constructed kitchen needed a designer’s and builder’s touch. Enter Jillian and Brendan Bader of Modern Nest, who tapped architect Erik Peterson of PHX Architecture to perfect the project. “The vision was to achieve a charming and authentic aesthetic that truly reflects the essence of English country design,” Brendan explains. “It exudes charm, quality craftsmanship, functionality and a sense of refined living.”

The process was truly a team effort, starting with the design and layout and ending with furnishings and decor. “The floor plan was developed collaboratively by the whole team with the intent to create an open livable plan with intimate human scale and cozy spaces,” Peterson notes. “The vast kitchen is open to the living room space, but the scale is brought down by a lowered coffered wood ceiling for a better scale, better lighting and sound control.” The kitchen opens to a family room on one side and to the front courtyard on another, flooding the space with plenty of ambient light.

“I’m really drawn to the furniture-style hutch, but I also love the range wall with the art ledge on the hood paired with the European-style ILVE range,” Jillian enthuses. “The two large islands are another standout for me.”

The threesome agrees that the final product is a total knockout, but Peterson sums it up best: “For me, it is one of the most comfortable kitchens we’ve been a part of creating because it just feels like home.”

The kitchen was inspired by a classic English country style, but modernized.